Food and sports: minerals and vitamins for athletes.

Having a balanced diet rich in nutrients is essential for the performance of athletes.
Just like having a regular training schedule, getting a healthy meal plan helps
guarantee that athletes have enough energy through their rehearsals and
performance. Additionally, it gives their body the nutrients it needs to keep healthy
bones, muscles, and other tissues while contributing to a quick healing process after
wearing out or being injured.

Athletes are always using their bones and tissues during their training and
performances. Testing their limits and being prone to injuries. Many athletes are at
greater risk of getting osteoporosis. Osteoporosis offers a good example to
understand better the correlation between a bad or an imbalanced diet and intense
physical activity. Among other roles, our bones act as calcium storage units, and
every time our body needs this mineral, it will take it from the available sources in the
body. In the case of depletion, it can wear out the bone and cause osteoporosis.

There are some essential vitamins and minerals that form an athlete’s diet,
considering their requirements and conditions, these are a few that should never be
missing.

In the case of minerals, these are the ones that lead the board:

● Iron. Iron forms hemoglobin, which makes red blood cells. These cells carry
oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, making it a fundamental mineral
that helps athletes have better endurance throughout their physical training.
Some foods rich in iron are nuts, liver, beans, and red meat. In some cases, it
might be necessary to take iron supplements. It is the case of women with
heavy periods. This is why it is more common to see women athletes who
need to add iron supplements to their diets.

● Calcium. As previously mentioned, having a sufficient intake of calcium can

help our bones stay healthy and strong. Besides, it also regulates blood
clotting. Some foods rich in iron include dairy food, green vegetables, some
nuts like almonds, and Brazil nuts and fish.
 ● Magnesium is another mineral that helps to boost endurance since it takes
blood sugar into the muscles. This mineral is known to have many benefits; it
helps absorb calcium, regulate blood pressure, and boosts metabolism. Some
good food sources include nuts like cashews and almonds, spinach, whole
grains, and dark chocolate.

One of the most common vitamins to include in an athlete's diet is Vitamin D.

Sunlight is the best source to get it. This vitamin helps regulate the amount of
calcium present in the body. Also, B vitamins are essential due to their role in energy
production. Finally, a regular intake of antioxidants such as Vitamin C and Selenium
can mitigate the oxidation effects. Therefore, reducing muscle inflammation and
soreness.